Fluorescent lamp shade structure



Nov. 11, 1952 v w. A. FOSTER 2,617,913

FLUORESCENT LAMP SHADE STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 18, 1948 44 Fig. 42

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BY Q, n

Patented Nov. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUORESCENT LAMP SHADE STRUCTURE William A. Foster, Flintville, Tenn.

Application October 18, 1948, Serial No. 55,097

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in lamps, more specifically, fluorescent lamp fixtures, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitate what may be referred to as indirect distribution of light from fluorescent tubes.

This object is achieved by the provision of the instant lamp wherein a set of substantially frustoconical shields are nested in a column on a fluorescent lamp tube, matters being so arranged that the light rays emanating from the tube are deflected and reflected by the shields in such manner as to result in indirect distribution of light.

Important advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its highly pleasing appearance, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and feadesignate like parts in the specification and 1 throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the invention consists of a fluorescent lamp designated generally by the reference char acter Hi, the same embodying in its construction a hollow, substantially disc-shaped base 12 provided with an upwardly extending, tubular pedestal l4. The upper end of this pedestal is closed by means of a wall 16, and a tubular sleeve 18 of transparent material extends upwardly from the base I2 through the pedestal l4, projecting through the upper end wall [6 of the pedestal, as is best shown in Figure 2.

It is to be noted that the lower end portions of the pedestal l4 and the sleeve l6 are formed with a plurality of apertures 20, 22, respectively, and suitable ballast such as concrete, or the like, indicated at 24, is poured into the base I2 and through the openings 20, 22 into the lower portion of the pedestal l4 and sleeve l 8, respectively, 5 7

2 whereby the base, the pedestal and the sleeve are firmly secured together and are sufficiently balanced so as to retain the entire lamp in a stabilized upright position.

A conventional fluorescent lamp tube 26 is removably positioned in the sleeve [8, an intermediate portion of the sleeve being provided with a lamp socket 21 to accommodate the lower electrode terminals 28 of the tube 26, substantially as shown. Similarly, a socket 29 is removably retained in the upper end portion of the sleeve l8 by a plurality of screws 30, these screws extending through and being in electrical contact with eyelets 32 secured in apertures in the sleeve l8. The screws 30 extend into suitable bores 34 formed in the socket 29 and engage compression springs 36 which, in turn, are in electrical contact with the upper electrode terminals 38 of the lamp tube 26.

A substantially frusto-conical cap 42 is removably seated at the upper end of the sleeve 18 and is attached or anchored to the lamp socket 29 by means of a ball-headed screw 44, substantially as shown. As will be readily apparent,

' by simply removing the screw 44 and the cap '42,

and thereafter removing the screws 30, the socket 29 may be removed from the sleeve 18, so as to facilitate replacement of the tube 26.

A set of substantially frusto-conical, hollow shields 46 formed from opaque material are provided therein with transparent tubular spacers 48, matters being so arranged that the spacers are slidably receivable on the sleeve l8 between inturned flanges 55 of the shields, whereby the several shields 46 may be nested in the vertically superimposed relation, forming what may be referred to as a column which extends from the pedestal I4 upwardly to the cap 42.

The lowermost of the shields 46 in the column is provided with a downturned flange 50 which is receivable on the upper end portion of the pedestal I 4, and it is to be noted that when the fluorescent tube 26 is energized, the light rays emanating therefrom will be deflected downwardly by the shields 43 as indicated by the arrow 52 in Figure 2. As a result, the light rays will not be permitted to travel in horizontal or upwardly inclined planes, so that the lamp will provide what may be referred to as indirect lighting. Moreover, it is to be also observed that the shields 46 are provided with concave upper surfaces 54 which will function as reflectors for the light rays, and equalized diffusion of light from the lamp will thus be facilitated.

The fluorescent tube 26 is energized by electric current delivered to the lamp through the medium of an attachment cord 56, the same passing into a coupling block 58 provided in the base l2 and being electrically connected by suitable conductors 60, 62 to a fluorescent lamp ballast 64 and to a switch 66 provided in the pedestal M.

The ballast M and the switch 66 are, in turn, electrically connected by suitable conductors l9, 72 to the fluorescent tube sockets 28, 29, respectively, the conductors 12 extending upwardly through the sleeve l8 at the sides of the tube 25, as shown in Figure 2, and being connected at their upper ends to the eyelets 32.

It may be explained at this point that the switch 66 included in the invention is of a special construction, eliminating the use of the usual starter employed with fluorescent tubes,

In other words, the high-voltage circuit of the tube is embodied in the electrical structure of the ballast 54, and is completed in the switch 66 by means of a normally open, momentary contact switch unit 14, as shown in Figure 4. The main operating circuit of the fluorescent tube is provided in the switch 65 with a. pair of contact members 16 which are engageable with pairs of coacting contacts 18, 80 provided on a rotatable member 82 of the switch. The pair of contacts 16 are electrically insulated while thepairs of contacts 89 are electrically connected as at 84, and rotation of the member 8-2 is effected by means of a reciprocable actuating plunger 85 with which the switch 86 is provided. The plunger 8'5 is equipped with a pawl 88 engageable with the contacts 1%, 8! matters being so arranged that when the plunger 85 is depressed, the switch unit 14 will be momentarily closed while at the same time, the member 82 is rotatedso'that the electrically coupled contacts 88 establish electrical connection between the contacts 15 of the main operating circuit of the fluorescent tube. The closing of the switch unit M will, of course, set up a high potential difference between the electrodes of the fluorescent tube, and as soon as are bridging the electrodes is created, the plunger 86 may be released and the switch unit 14 automatically permitted to become open.

However, upon opening of the switch unit 14, the member 82 will remain in a position where the contacts 88 electrically connect the contacts 16, so that the main operating circuit of the lamp will remain closed and the fluorescent tube will continue to be energized;

However, when the plunger 85 is again dewill be discontinued, so that energization of the fluorescent tube will cease.

It should, of course, be understood that the pawl 88 of the plunger 86 coacts with the contacts i8, of the member 82 in a ratchet-like manner. That is to say, reciprocation of the plunger 86 causes uni-directional rotation of the member 82, as indicated by the arrow 90.

It' is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the. details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a lamp shade structure, the combination of a base, a transparent tubular sleeve extending upward-ly from. said base, a column of substantially irusto-conical shields of opaque material positioned in spaced relation on said sleeve, an imturned flange provided at the upper edge or each shield and engaging the sleeve, a plurality o? transparent tubular spacers positioned on said sleeve in abutment with the flanges of the respective shields, the lowermost shield in the column abutting said base, the uppermostoi said spacers projecting beyond the upper end or sleeve, a block secured in the upper end portion of the sleeve, 2. cap at the upper end of the sleeve in abutment with the uppermost spacer, a fasteningelement securing said cap to said'b-lock, and a fluorescent tube mounted in said sleeve.

WILLIAM A, FOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fil'e of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 145,138 Lolli July 2, .1946 1,738,009 Kayatt Dec. 3, 1929 1,978,251 Doane Oct. 23, i934 2,223,873 Pieper Dec. 3, 1940 2,293,924 Swanson Aug. 25, 1942 2,305,214 Williams Dec. 15, 1942 2,344,160 Meese et a1 Mar. 14, 1944 1 2,363,374 Weyer Nov. 21, 1944 2,387,055 Bryant Oct. 16, 1945 2,452,507 Turkat Oct. 28, 1948 2,511,440 Long June 13, 1950' FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date- 308,625 England Mar. 22, 1929 

